Trail Ridge Road

US 34, Trail Ridge · Deer Ridge Junction → Grand Lake

Twisty38 mi1 hr 20 min4,000 ft climbHigh point ≈ 12,200 ftOne way

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The drive

Trail Ridge Road crosses Rocky Mountain National Park on US 34, and for miles it runs above the trees: the highest point is 12,183 feet, on open alpine tundra where elk graze beside the road. It's the highest continuous paved road in the US national parks, and it feels like it.

Carve drives it west from Deer Ridge Junction on the Estes Park side, where most visitors stay, so the long climb to the tundra comes first. You pass Rainbow Curve and the Alpine Visitor Center, cross the Continental Divide at Milner Pass, and drop down the Kawuneeche Valley to Grand Lake.

Along the way

Deer Ridge Junction
Rainbow Curve
Alpine Visitor Center
Milner Pass
Grand Lake

Elevation

4,000 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 12,200 ft

Deer Ridge JunctionGrand Lake

Curves

Mostly moderate, with three twisty stretches

mi 2–8mi 12–16mi 21–28

Deer Ridge JunctionGrand Lake

GentleHairpins

Good to know

There's a park entrance fee, and in summer a timed-entry reservation is needed from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Early-season snow and ice can close the high section between Rainbow Curve and Milner Pass for a day or two, even before the winter closure.
The stops are at the Rainbow Curve and Alpine Visitor Center pullouts. At 12,000 feet it's cold and the air is thin: bring a jacket even in July.

Closed to through travel by snow from about mid-October to late May. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check National Park Service: Rocky Mountain road status.

What you get in the app

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Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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